Thank You
by NeonFlower
Summary: He couldn't let the brunette lose herself. He wanted her back desperately. Even if it took him forever.


He walked down the sidewalk, holding a stack of papers and a few textbooks in his arms. He had made the offer to deliver the stack to his missing classmate, in which the teacher let him.

Satoshi was very worried for her. Ever since they returned from Heavenly Host for a second time, the two females of the group had disappeared from the class. Ayumi Shinozaki was battling a horrible case of the flu however, and couldn't attend school in her state. The other had basically disappeared ever since their second return.

He was nearing the Nakashima household, slowing his pace down. He walked up the steps, hesitating as he was about to knock on the door. Finally, giving in, he knocked on the wooden surface with the back of his hand, hearing faint shuffling inside.

A click of the doorknob, and the door opened, a older woman standing before him.

"Oh, hello," She greeted politely.

"Hi... uhm, I'm here to give some assignments for Naomi... I'm Satoshi Mochida, I'm in the same class as her," He was quick to explain his presence, feeling more and more tense.

"Of course, come in," She replied softly, stepping back to let the teenage boy to walk in. He was curious as to why she was so accepting of him as he walked in. She could have just taken the stack from him at the door. Or maybe... it was because she had given up on her daughter…?

"Her room is down the hall and the first door to the right," The older Nakashima told him, and he nodded, stepping towards the hallway. Like she had told him, the first door to the right of him was closed. He felt a heavy weight on his shoulders as he pondered if he should knock or just walk in. He didn't want to intrude on anything.

He knocked on the door quietly, before turning the doorknob and stepping in. Her room was dark, the curtains covering the windows opposite of the door. The floor was a mess, covered in papers and other objects.

He finally saw her, her back facing him as she laid on her bed.

"Naomi...?" He spoke softly, not wanting to disturb her if she was asleep. He heard her shift on the mattress, but didn't bother to look at him.

He felt his heart shatter. She was taking everything that happened very hard... but he never imagined she would go this far. But, she hadn't been the same either, ever since the untimely death of her best friend. She had lost something when her friend was erased from existence.

"N-Naomi, I've brought some assignments from class," He spoke again, only to be met with more silence. Letting out a deep exhale, he walked over to her desk and set the stack on the surface.

Stepping back towards the door, he frowned at her. He wanted to do something so badly... but he didn't know what. He couldn't bring back their classmate. Even their occult-obsessed friend couldn't do it.

Before stepping out, he paused.

"Good bye, Naomi..." Was all he managed to say before grabbing the door and closing it gently.

Walking out, the older Nakashima was standing at the entrance of the another room, a sad expression on her face.

"Did she talk?" The woman asked, and he paused, frowning.

"No," He replied, and her brows furrowed.

He started walking for the front door, only to be quickly stopped by the older woman.

"D-Do you want to stay for a bit? I can make some tea or something," She asked, and he thought for a moment.

"Thank you for the offer... but I'm expected to be home soon," He replied, and she glanced down.

"Okay, well thank you for delivering those papers to her," She spoke softly.

"It was no problem," He smiled sadly, before stepping out of the household and going down the stairs.

Now, on his way to his own home, his thoughts were all over the place. Finally, he came to the conclusion... that he would visit again tomorrow. He couldn't let the brunette lose herself completely. He wanted her back desperately.

Even if it took him forever.

* * *

Like he had vowed the previous day, he was walking down the same sidewalk, towards the Nakashima household. He had been impatient all day, it becoming increasingly noticeable by other classmates and teachers. No one bothered to ask what was wrong though.

Reaching the front door, he shook off any doubt and knocked.

The door opened, again to be met with Mrs. Nakashima.

"Oh... hello again. Dropping off more assignments?" She greeted.

"Actually, I've come to see if I can talk to Naomi," He replied, and she blinked with confusion.

"Oh... um... Well you can certainly try, I guess. She hasn't really spoken to me since we came back from the hospital," The older woman explained. At least, she was giving him a chance.

He frowned at that piece of information. During their second visit to Heavenly Host Elementary, Naomi was attacked and received a severe eye injury. He had been told that the eye had been completely scratched over and that she would be blind for the rest of her life.

"Please, if she doesn't want to talk, you should leave her alone. She's triggered quite easily if she's upset," The older woman warned him as he walked over to her bedroom. He would take this piece of information to heart.

Knocking lightly, he opened up the door gently, and slowly, to make sure she wasn't asleep again.

"Please, just leave me alone, mother," He froze at the sound of her voice. Her tone was stern, and her voice cracked.

"Naomi?" He spoke out, and he heard her take in a small breath. Her back was facing him again, it seemed as if she hadn't moved at all since yesterday. This worried him. Her health would deplete slowly if she continued on this.

She rose her head a bit, but, her left eye was covered in a paper eye patch.

Even with her eye covered over, it had been clear that she had been crying a lot lately. Her face was a complete mess.

"W-What are... you doing here?" She murmured, facing him a bit more so that her right eye could focus.

"I'm worried about you," He replied, and her eyes narrowed before laying back down.

"Are you going to start calling me crazy too?" She asked, and he blinked, confused.

"Naomi... is this about...?" He didn't want to mention her friend's name, it could set her off.

"Yes. Nobody but you and the other two believe me. I can't face the outside world anymore like this," She muttered, fighting back tears. Her head was aching from so much crying.

"Just don't give up like that. This isn't like you," He spoke, only to be met with silence.

"Naomi?" He questioned her, but more silence followed.

"Leave," She demanded, and his eyes widened. He didn't want to upset her, so he frowned sadly, before exiting the room.

"Goodbye, Naomi," He murmured, before shutting the door quietly.

Once he was gone, she looked towards the door, feeling hot tears swell in her eyes.

After saying his goodbyes to the older Nakashima, he made his way back to his home again, his walk slow.

He would return again tomorrow. He had to break through to her.

Because he loved her.

* * *

True to his word, he would return each day after school. Slowly, but surely, she was opening herself to him. It would be small conversations, but he would take her voice for anything.

Maybe it was because she was lonely. She desperately needed someone to go to, but with her best friend gone, that void in her broken heart couldn't be filled.

One day, when he had come to her house, she was crying. Out of instinct, he embraced her, cradling her gently while she vented herself to him, her tears staining his shirt. He was silent while she sobbed uncontrollably, rubbing her back in small circles.

When she finally settled down, she didn't break from his embrace. She enjoyed his warmth, ad tightened her arms around his torso.

While holding her, he had come to notice how incredibly thin she had become. He frowned at the thought that she was practically starving herself at her state of depression. He wouldn't question it now though. Right now, she just needed somebody to hold her, to comfort her. And he would be that somebody.

They stayed like that for a long time, he lost track of time, but he didn't care. But eventually, all good things had to come to an end. He broke their tight embrace, much to her disappointment.

"You'll be back tomorrow?" She asked quietly, her voice shaky from the heavy crying. He put his bag over his shoulder, smiling sadly at her.

"Yes," He promised he would. With that, he exited her room. She let out a sigh, falling back into her bed. For the first time, she felt protected. That she had somebody there to look out for her. Her eye closed slowly, falling into a long-needed slumber.

He continued his visits each day. When weekends came, he would take a few hours out of the day to spend time with her.

Mrs. Nakashima had been grateful for his loyalty to her daughter. Because of him, she was starting to come out of her room more often, encouraged by him to start eating... and try to talk to her mother again.

When he came over today, he had something wrapped in his hand. It seemed small, probably a gift for her.

Opening the door to her bedroom, he entered to her sitting on her bed, looking over the different assignments he had delivered for her from school. She looked up as he entered, smiling softly. He loved her smiles, happy that she was able to after everything.

Handing the small present to her, she hesitated to open it. Tearing the wrapping off, inside was a small teddy bear. It was simple, having no special patterns or colors to it. But she loved it.

Rising from her bed, she wrapped her arms around his neck tightly, embracing him. He wrapped his arms around her lower torso.

"Thank you, I love it," She muttered, and he smiled.

"R-Really? I thought I should have gotten another one-"

"It's perfect," She cut him off. She found his timid-ness cute.

They spent the rest of the time having small conversations, usually light-heartened. He just wanted to keep her mood up.

When it was time for him to leave, he felt his jacket sleeve being pulled. He turned, blinking at her questionably.

"Please stay... tonight," She murmured, and his eyes widened. Under normal circumstances, he would have to refuse. But he couldn't say no to her. Not after all he had done to help her break out of her depression.

"Okay, I'll stay," He finally replied, and she felt relieved.

He stayed there for the rest of the night, having called his parents that he wouldn't be home till tomorrow. Mrs. Nakashima didn't mind, she trusted him enough to stay over.

It was around 8 PM, both of them holding each other as they sat on the bed.

"Satoshi?" She broke the silence, moving her head to look up at him.

"Hm?" He didn't fully reply, feeling a bit drowsy.

"Thank you... for everything," She murmured against him, and his eyes opened.

"Huh?" He tilted his head at her response, a bit confused.

"I don't know where I would be today if you hadn't come here... you didn't give up on me," She rose from her spot, looking at him. He smiled softly, leaning forward and pressing his forehead against hers. The action caused both of them to blush, but both admitted that they liked the closeness.

"You're welcome," He whispered.

They stayed like that for a while, until he found himself growing antsy.

"C-Can I... um... kiss you?" He felt warmth come to his face, feeling so stupid to having to ask.

She blinked, her eye widening at his next question while her own face warmed up. Her gaze softened moments later though. He was so polite and shy.

"Of course," She muttered under her breath.

Slowly, he leaned forward, bringing her chin up. Their lips met in a light kiss, nothing too harsh, but nothing too gentle. They broke apart moments later, faces flushed. It was a short kiss, but they felt whole.

Their foreheads met again, eyes closed as they enjoyed this new feeling. The need to say 'I love you' was not a necessity. They knew their feelings for each other.

That night, she had pleaded for him to sleep with her. Not in a intimate way, just so that they could cuddle. He hesitantly agreed, laying next to her as he wrapped his arms around her. For the first time, in a long time, she had slept well that night, enveloped in his warmth and smell.

* * *

It only took another week before she was fully prepared to return to school. According to him, their dear friend, Ayumi, was still fighting the lasting effects of her flu. But she was expected to return in a few weeks time.

They walked into the gates of their school grounds, hand in hand as they headed for class.

"Hey! Satoshi!" Both stopped when they heard a voice call for them. They turned to see their other friend running after them, Yoshiki Kishinuma. He also partook into the events of Heavenly Host, and was the only one to be taking it the lightest.

"...and Nakashima?" He was dumbfounded the moment he saw the brunette.

"Hey Kishinuma," She replied, smiling softly. He shook his initial shock off, and greeted her.

"Are you back for good?" He asked.

"Yep," She nodded.

"Well, it's nice to see you back," He grinned, slipping his hands into his pockets.

"Come on, class is about to start soon," Satoshi reminded both, grabbing Naomi's hand as they walked away. Yoshiki blinked when he noticed this, and smirked.

Something was definitely going on between those two...


End file.
